The other barrier is money. Insurance will cover all sorts of medical bills, but it doesn't cover vocational retraining, usually. Their program is a vendor for Vocational Rehabilitation, and since most of the patients have a recognized disability, they usually qualify and Voc Rehab pays for the retraining.

Bills has a variety of clients, each unique. One can't speak well because of a stroke, while another has weakness on one side and can't use his right hand. Some use wheelchairs, so the workplace must be accessible. While someone in a wheelchair can do a phone-related job, it would be a bad fit for an individual with speech deficits. One client who has been hard to place is young and in a wheelchair, but her barrier is a speech impediment. Prospective employers mistakenly believe she's not bright; she is. Bills places about half those who seek her help.

"Anyone can have a stroke or a brain injury. My very first client was a successful attorney who was hit by a drunk driver. It turned his life upside down," Bills says.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com